Friday, July 13, 2018

For Owlish

You asked and Cataline answers.

In answer your request for a slightly obscure but enjoyable adventure film; I offer The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blac-Sec.

Stephen Speilberg has recently indicated that he has every intention of destroying the reputation of Indiana Jones in the name of feminism and to appease the hunger of his former secretary Kathleen Kennedy for male humiliation.

Now Cray-Cray Kay-Kay's executive career may well be on terminal life support but Indiana Jones and the Humiliation of His Name might yet be produced.

Spielberg has stated in public...where people could hear him and everything that he had every intention of making Indiana Jone's replacement a girl.

Stephen is approaching the end of his productive life and therefore, sadly, does not know that this has already been done. And no, I am not referring to Lara Croft.

I am referring to Mademoiselle Adele Blanc-Sec.

And frankly it was done with a hell of a lot more style than Spielberg will be able to manage. The plot of Adele is pretty much impossible to summarize and so I will not. This is because the narrative is pretty much in keeping with the serial penny dreadfuls of the turn of the century which is roughly when this story takes place.

It's late 1914, the curtain is about to fall on La Belle Époque. Adele Blanc-Sec is very properly a female journaliste adventurer (the J word having much different connotations back then). Which is quite acceptable for a woman adventurer. Adele has style, wit, courage and is definetly not a pixie-ninja, which I deeply appreciate. The plot flies back and forth between Egypt, Paris and the Mesozoic era. Don't worry it all blends together quite nicely.

No question here, this is Luc Besson at his Gallic weirdest so buckle up if you want on this ride.